The present invention generally relates to limb-supporting boards and, more particularly, to a movable armboard that may be attached to a table for supporting a human body.
It is known to provide a limb-supporting board, such as an arm board, that may be movably attached to a table for supporting a human body, such as a surgical table or an X-ray table. Such a table typically has standardized side rails for receiving attachments.
A conventional movable armboard includes an elongated planar member for supporting an arm during a medical procedure. The planar member is pivotally connected to a mounting bracket that is adapted for releasable attachment to one of the side rails of the table. The planar member is connected to the mounting bracket by a pin so as to be pivotable through a plurality of angular positions extending along an arc of 180.degree. or less. Since it is desirable to secure the arm from movement during the medical procedure, a locking mechanism is provided to selectively secure the planar member in one of the angular positions.
A typical locking mechanism for an armboard includes a gear wheel and an engagement bar. An example of such a locking mechanism is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,210 to Michelson, which is incorporated herein by reference. In such a locking mechanism, the gear wheel is secured to the mounting bracket and has a plurality of teeth. The engagement bar includes an inner end with a pointed tip and an outer end with a handle secured thereto. The engagement bar is slidably attached to a bottom side of the planar member by U-shaped clamps so as to be longitudinally disposed along the length of the support member.
The engagement bar is slidable along the bottom side so as to permit the tip to be selectively inserted between the teeth of the gear wheel. When the engagement bar is pulled away from the gear wheel, the tip is removed from between the teeth, thereby permitting the planar member to move relative to the mounting bracket. When the engagement bar is pushed toward the gear wheel, the tip is inserted between the teeth, thereby preventing the planar member from moving relative to the mounting bracket.
Since the gear wheel is disposed on the exterior of the armboard, the gear wheel is often damaged if the armboard is dropped onto a floor. In addition, the gear wheel is often contacted by medical personnel working around the table. During such contact, the teeth of the gear wheel may snag and thereby damage clothing of the medical personnel. Moreover, dirt and other contaminants often collects between the teeth and is not easily removed, thereby making the armboard difficult to clean.
Since the handle of the locking mechanism is also located on the bottom side of the armboard, the handle is also often damaged if the armboard is dropped onto a floor. The location of the handle on the bottom side of the armboard also makes the handle difficult to reach during a medical procedure, which is ergonomically undesirable.
Based upon the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a movable armboard that does not have an exterior gear wheel and does not have a manipulating handle located on a bottom side of the armboard. The present invention is directed to such a movable armboard.